Warelin

I have never heard of anyone's offer being rescinded because they shared details.

I know of someone who had a letter submitted two weeks late due to illness. They e-mailed the program post deadline to let them know. They were still accepted. Professors generally know that other professors are busy because they're also likely writing letters for students to get into other programs. They also know it is outside of your control so I would try not to stress over it.

Cleared. Abuse is NOT tolerated here nor is it tolerated on the Results page. Application season is stressful; there is no reason to make it more stressful for anyone.

Regardless of program, I think it would be a losing battle. My thoughts are similar to what @kineto has expressed. Program interests are likely to change. You may or may not get along with someone who you were originally interested in. They may get sick. They may get a job offer elsewhere regardless of tenure status. They might have no interest in taking on grad students. It's also possible that they don't believe you've done your research enough and are just applying to a program because you want the "name" associated with it. They might see this as not being open-minded enough to consider all your possibilities. It's also possible that they might question your ability to do research. If geography is a concern, professors could also wonder what will prevent you from completing your degree if your location was a factor. They might also question if geography is the only reason you applied.

Hi @Nutsa, I think there are a few things to break down in this post: 1. The Ivy League refers to a sports conference that undergraduates are eligible to play in. Columbia is part of that sports league; NYU is not part of that sports league. 2. Rankings at the undergraduate level differ (which ranks schools as a "whole") tend to be different from rankings at the graduate level 3. Some schools which might not be top ranked for a subject might have a better "subranking" for a specific subject 4. Besides grades and scores, your interests and who is in the application pool will determine whether or not you're accepted. In many ways, the process is unpredictable. 5. Certain schools might carry more weight in certain countries; just like certain schools might carry more weight in certain cities or regions within the USA. 6. I would recommend ignoring acceptance rates; there are way too many factors to try to figure out your odds based on applicants from previous years. It be more important to make sure you make the base requirements for a school. With the information you've provided here, I don't see you being filtered out as a result of not meeting base requirements. How much a school chooses to enforce a base requirement varies from school to school and program to program. 7. I'd encourage you to apply to as many schools in which there are professors with who you'd be interested in working with. In the past, programs with more faculty tend to get more applicants because more people tend to think their work fits better there. However, a smaller program might be able to offer more personalized attention. 8. Resources will differ by the university regardless of size.

Multiple people have an MA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing. For many, it's allowed them to decide whether they're looking for a PHD in English, Creative Writing, or Rhetoric/Composition.

I'd advise against manipulating page margins. It's likely that most programs expect size 12, tnr, double-spaced. If you don't follow their expectations, it's likely that they'll just refuse to take a look at your application. Part of the reason they have requirements is to ensure that each applicant have the ability to have the same amount of space to express themselves. It would be unfair if some applicants had significantly more time or space to express why they should have a spot. This is a field that will require lots of rewrites. Grants will have different expectations from another as will peer-reviewed academic journals. It's important for you to be able to adapt your writing to be able to "fit" into each one. That being said, @PsyDuck90is correct in suggesting that using a portion of your thesis is allowable. If you take that route, I'd do a bit of rewriting to include a summary of the arguments you present and ensure that a conclusion and summary are included. This will likely require a rewrite to make sure that everything is included. I'd also do a re-read to ensure that people can still get your argument if they didn't read every sentence.

Unless you worked on a research project together, I don't think there is a need to mention your significant other in any capacity. If you did work together on a research project, you can use the word "colleague".

Most, if not all, programs expect you to send transcripts from any institutions you've attended. Refusal to disclose is often seen as dishonesty and a reason and a reason to rescind admission. If any stipends were given, this information is even easier to obtain. Academia is a small circle so trust is even more important.

Pinned.

I think that would be a great idea. I'd be able to pin it if it were created. I think my only request would be that a link to the information be provided in an attempt to provide the most accurate information.

At this point, I'm wondering if it would be easier to keep up with the programs who have confirmed they're accepting applications next cycle.

If I recall correctly, ND permanently closed admissions into their CompLit program about 3-4 cycles ago.

According to the updated PhD Program Admissions Information (https://english.wustl.edu/phd-program-admissions-information), WashU is not requiring the GRE General nor the GRE Subject test.

I think it's also important to consider that you'll need to supply transcripts from your current institution. It is also likely that you'll need to provide a current letter of recommendation from your current institution to the colleges you send an application to.

Universities tend to set different dates for when they start accepting applications. Applications for Fall 2022 admission will likely open in August-October 2021.

There's also a possibility that the departmental culture is such that professors don't formally take students until after coursework is completed because your interests might change as well as who you'd like to serve on your committee. The humanities tend to accept cohorts based on the whole rather than having professors decide who they'd like to work with them in their lab. As a result, establishing a connection prior to applying might not be as important in this case.

I think it is important to note that different colleges have different expectations when it comes to graduate/faculty housing. Some graduate housing does not allow pets to live there. As a result, one may or may not qualify for living in graduate housing. Some units owned by colleges might also require you to have roommates. This might work well for some and might be a deal-breaker for others. Some housing might be assigned by lottery. This is just luck.

I think it's also important to know that not every school offers deferrals and deferrals aren't guaranteed.

Congratulations to both of you on making your decision! Decision-making is a very exciting part of the year.

FWIW: I choose a program ranked "lower" than another by about 9 spots. The other program wasn't in a location I could see myself being happy in. I ended up choosing a program that was in a location I preferred and offered a decent stipend compared to the cost of living. I spend a fair amount on housing but that's because it's what I choose to "splurge" on. Our stipend increases yearly but I think it's also important to recognize that previous students also fought to make sure that stipends were fair. It wasn't long ago that (at other schools) students weren't guaranteed a stipend which created a lot of tension between the funded and unfunded students. One will never become rich from their stipend but I do think it's important to have a balance between security, placement, location and mental health. I think it's also important to understand that an acceptance to any school does not guarantee a job into schools they've previously placed in without the proper amount of work. If one is too tapped out, a program's money won't cure it all. If one fails out because they don't meet standards, it doesn't matter where one goes if they can't graduate or work to their best ability. In the end, it's up to you to decide how you manage your time though. I think there are brilliant scholars at multiple schools but think it's also important to realize that professors can leave at anytime for any reason. A scholar I was interested in at a different school is now working at another school. Another scholar I'm interested in working with is leaving a school ranked in the top 20 for English and moving here despite her having tenure over there. The professor will keep her tenure here but I think it's important to realize that professors can and sometimes do leave their previous positions for things other than retirment. Sometimes, the environment is equally as important to them and they might not always know how much students are being given as a stipend here. Another recently hired professor formerly taught at a school that is ranked in the 60s/70s and was offered the position over someone who taught at an HYP institution because the fit was better.

I'm sorry you didn't get in. It's possible that everyone didn't respond. Sometimes, schools with bigger cohorts accept 1.5 people per slot they have and waitlist an additional number of applicants. They do this with the understanding that more people will turn down their offer. It's likely that what happened is that a greater yield than they were expecting accepted their offer. It's also possible that you were first in a certain subfield but both people within that subfield accepted their offer. It's unfortunate but sadly it does happen. It doesn't reflect your ability and it does not mean your work is lesser than those accepted. I hope you reach a decision that makes you happy.

Some schools that make up the "top 20" will change every time the list is completed. A program in the top 20 might be there now, but might not be on the next list. A lot of the programs on the top 20 have been around for longer which helped them establish early presences in research-focused institutions. However, I think it's important to realize that your adviser is important and the "best" adviser for you might be at a school not in the top 20. There are some programs that aren't in the top 20 but are known for certain subfields. A top 20 might be given preferences at certain research institutions but that's not always the case. Placements might be the best indicator on where and how well a university places. I think it's equally as important to realize cohort size differences between colleges. More placements does not necessarily mean better if one cohort size is 4 and the other is 20.

I rejected a school ranked in the 20s for a school in the 30s. I think the difference is terms of rankings was also around 9? I felt the school ranked in the 30s was in a better location for me, had a better stipend, had faculty I was more interested in working with and their placements looked better to me. The school ranked in the 30s seemed was very open about their placement and the cohort vibe was ambitious and collegial.

This board also has some good resources on how to address canceled conferences in different formatting styles. I think from what I've been told is to be careful of using "Invited Presentations" or "Invited Conferences" because it implies that the organizer(s) actively solicited you and that you didn't submit to a call for papers.